Improvement in letter-boxes



l. D. STEWART.

rLetter-Boxes.

N0 147,445. Patented Feb. 10.1874.

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN D. STIDVABT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 147,445, dated February`l0, 1874; application filed January' 2, 1874.

To all Iwhom it muy concern Be it known that I, JonN D. STEWART, ofBaltimore city, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter- Boxes; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to letter-boxes having an interior 'rocking-plateoperated bythe raising of the lid or cover for the aperture throughwhich the'letters are admitted; and the nature of my invention 'consistsin the construction of said lid or cover with a projection on each sidefor pivoting the same within the letter-box, and with an arm at eachside to opcrate the rocking-plate, as will be hereinafter more fully setforth.

Figure l represents a vertical section, showing an end view of thetilting platform and lid or cover; and F1' g. 2 is a reduced frontelevation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappcrtains to make and l use the sa1ne,I will now proceed to describeits construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, whichrepresents a transverse vertical section of aletter-box embodying myinvention.

Arepresents a letter-box of any suitable construct-ion, provided on oneside with an aperture, a, through which the letters or other mail matteris to be admitted. Within the box A, opposite to the aperture a, is astationary inclined board, B, extending entirely across the box from thetop downward for a suitable distance. (l represents the rocking plate,which also extends entirely across the box, and is hung between theaperture a and the board B in such a manner that when the lid or coverfor said aperture is raised to admit letters, the plate will extend frombelow the aperture to the lower end of the board B, and therebyeifectually prevent any instrument from being inserted to abstract anymail matter from the box.

Rockin g plates having been used before for curved arm, b, extendsinward and downward from the same. The upper edge of this arm forms,with the exterior surface of the curved A part of the lid, nearly a truesemicircle, and an ear or projection, d, extends vdownward from thesame.

The main part of the lid or cover D is passed through a slot oraperture, w, above the letteraperture a, from the inside of the boxoutward, and the lid is then pivoted to the inside of the box throughthe ends of the ears or projections dd, the pivot-point being the centerof the semicircle above described. The arms b b form stops for theupward movement of the front end ofthe plate C, the rear edge of saidplate being the heaviest, so as to throw the front end upward.

Now, when the lid D is raised, it passes partially into the interior ofthe box, and the arms b b force the rocking plate (l into the positionshown by the dotted line in the drawing. Letters may now be admittedthrough the opening a., between the arms b b, onto the plate C, and assoon as the lid D is lowered the plate AC turns and deposits the letterson the bottom of the box A.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The lid or cover D, constructed as. described, with an arm, 1),-andan ear or projection, d, at each side, and pivoted within the box A, themain part of thelid passing through an aperture, x, in the mannersubstantially as herein set forth.

2. Thecombination of the box Awith openings a w, rocking plate (l, andthe lid D, provided with arm b and projection d at each end, allconstructed substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: JNO. D. STEWART.

T. H. ALEXANDER, I. C. DrErnIon.

